SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA -- On Monday, February 9, concerned citizens from across California will deliver a petition to Governor Jerry Brown’s Sacramento office, signed by more than 184,000 people calling on California to follow New York’s lead and ban fracking completely. At the end of last year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo became the first Governor to officially institute a statewide ban on fracking, and Monday’s action in Sacramento aims to pressure Governor Brown to show similar leadership on climate change and environmental health.

WHO/WHAT: Activists from the California-based Courage Campaign with activists of Daily Kos, 350.org, Food and Water Watch, CREDO, Environmental Action, Presente, Forecast the Facts, RH Reality Check, and other concerned Californians will deliver a petition signed by more than 184,000 people calling on Gov. Brown to institute a state-wide ban on fracking.

The petition delivery to Governor Brown’s offices comes on the heels of the Saturday, February 7 March for Real Climate Leadership in Oakland, the largest anti-fracking march in U.S. history. Thousands of people from across the state marched in Gov. Brown’s town to urge him to align his climate vision with his actions by ending fracking, standing up to Big Oil and moving California beyond fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy.

“In 2013, after months of negotiations with major environmental groups and public health advocates, Gov. Brown caved to Big Oil lobbyists and signed a watered-down, corporate-friendly fracking bill that left activists outraged,” explained Eddie Kurtz, executive director of the California-based Courage Campaign. “And since then, Gov. Brown has yet to acknowledge the real threat that fracking has to the health and safety of our communities.”

“Gov. Brown has painted a bold vision to make California a global leader on climate change, but he has made zero mention of the extreme dangers of fracking or made any substantial attempt to address it. What the governor fails to realize is that you cannot be a ‘leader’ on environmental issues when you refuse to acknowledge that fracking is poisoning our land and communities,” added Kurtz.

"Our message is exactly the same as it was this weekend: Governor Brown can't claim to be a climate leader with one hand, and then allow fracking in our backyards with the other," said Linda Capato of 350.org. "The facts are clear: fracking worsens climate change, exacerbates a historic drought, and harms public health. These petition signatures are joining the 10,000 marchers from this weekend to say that if the Governor's serious about his reputation as a climate leader, it's time to end fracking in California, and invest in truly renewable energies across our state."

“Thousands of Californians will march in Oakland on Saturday to call on Governor Brown to ban fracking,” says Tia Lebherz, California Organizer at Food & Water Watch. “150,000 more have sent the same message by signing this petition. If Governor Brown truly wants to be a climate leader, if we wants California to be at the forefront of the fight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he must heed the voices of Californians: ban fracking and stand up to Big Oil for once and for all."

A recent report found that fracking is used in as many as 175 of California’s new oil wells a month -- accounting for more than 50 percent of oil wells started each month.